Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836

<p>Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer. A Founding Father, he served as the third vice president of the United States during President Thomas Jefferson's first term from 1801 to 1805. His role in helping form the nation, however, would be overshadowed when he killed fellow Founding Father Alexander Hamilton in an 1804 duel. The duel led to the collapse of Burr's political career and tarnished his legacy in American history.</p>

<p>Burr was born to a prominent family in New Jersey, where he attended the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University. Amid Burr's law studies, he served as a Continental Army officer in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 until his resignation in 1779. After leaving the military, Burr returned to his law career in New York City.</p>

<p>He was elected twice to the New York State Assembly (1784–1785 and 1798–1799), was appointed Attorney General of New York (1789–1791), was chosen as a U.S. senator (1791–1797) from the State of New York. Burr was Jefferson's vice-presidential candidate on the 1800 Jeffersonian Republican ticket. An electoral college tie between Jefferson and Burr resulted in the House of Representatives deciding in Jefferson's favor. Although he maintained that he supported Jefferson, the president was highly suspicious of Burr. Consequently, Burr was essentially sidelined by Jefferson. Burr fatally shot his political rival Hamilton in an 1804 duel, during the last full year of his single term as vice president. Though the duel was illegal, he was never tried, and all charges against him eventually were dropped. Nevertheless, Hamilton's death ended Burr's political career.</p>

<p>Burr left Washington, D.C., and traveled west, seeking new opportunities, both economic and political; further, he left behind the controversy surrounding him in more cosmopolitan parts of the country. His activities eventually led to his arrest on charges of treason in 1807. He was tried multiple times, but acquitted; nevertheless, the fallout left him with large debts and few influential friends. To avoid vigilante execution, and further charges by the state, he left the United States for Europe. He remained overseas until 1812 when he returned to the United States to practice law in New York City. He spent the remainder of his life there, dying in relative obscurity.</p>

<p>Aaron Burr was born in 1756 in Newark, New Jersey, into a family of ministers. His father was the second president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and his grandfather was Jonathan Edwards, the famous theologian. Burr's parents died when he was a young boy, and he lived with various friends and family as a child. He went to college at Princeton in 1769 at the age of thirteen, graduating three years later. In 1775, with the outbreak of the American Revolution, Burr joined the Army to fight against the British. He accompanied Benedict Arnold's failed expedition to try to invade Quebec, and in 1776 he became a member of General George Washington's staff. He served in the Army until 1779, when ill health forced him to resign. Burr then decided to study law, and he was admitted to the bar in New York in 1782.</p>

<p>After moving to New York City, Burr set up his law practice. He was elected to the state assembly of New York in 1784 and served one term. In 1789, the governor of New York chose Burr as the state attorney general, and just two years later, the state legislature appointed him to the Senate of the United States, where he served until 1797. During his tenure in the Senate, Burr became part of the Democratic-Republicans who were nominally led by Thomas Jefferson. He returned to New York after his stint in the Senate and again served in the state assembly. In 1800, the Democratic-Republicans chose Burr as the vice presidential candidate to run with Thomas Jefferson who was the presidential candidate. During this period, voters could not differentiate their votes between President and vice president. The candidate with the most electoral votes became President and the candidate with the second most electoral votes became vice president. In the 1800 election, when the Democratic-Republican electors all voted for Jefferson and Burr, the two candidates received the same number of votes. Burr refused to concede to Jefferson, and only after thirty-six ballots in the House of Representatives did Jefferson finally prevail to become President. Needless to say, Burr's refusal to concede did not endear him to Jefferson, and he played little role in the administration. As vice president, Burr's primary responsibility was to preside over the Senate, which he did with efficiency and charm. Burr ran for governor of New York in the 1804 election. Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, led the opposition to Burr's candidacy and spoke out against Burr and questioned his integrity in public. For these perceived slights, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel, during which he shot and killed Hamilton on July 11, 1804. After New York and New Jersey both issued warrants for his arrest, Burr went back to the District of Columbia and resumed his position as vice president, presiding over the Senate. Jefferson did not ask Burr to run with him again in 1804, and Burr went out west after he finished his tenure. There he was involved in a scheme to provoke a war with Mexico and seize land to create his own empire. Although the details of his intrigue remain unclear, Burr was arrested on charges of treason. He was found not guilty and fled to Europe. After spending four years in Europe, Burr returned to the United States and resumed his legal practice. He died in 1836.</p>

BURR, AARON, (cousin of Theodore Dwight), a Senator from New York and a Vice President of the United States; born in Newark, N.J., February 6, 1756; graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1772; studied theology but soon abandoned it for the law; during the Revolutionary War entered the Continental Army 1775-1779; admitted to the bar in 1782 and practiced in Albany, N.Y.; moved to New York City in 1783; member, State assembly 1784-1785, 1798-1799; attorney general of New York 1789-1790; commissioner of Revolutionary claims in 1791; elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1791, to March 3, 1797; unsuccessful candidate for reelection; president of the State constitutional convention in 1801; in the presidential election of 1800, Burr and Thomas Jefferson each had seventy-three votes, and the House of Representatives on the thirty-sixth ballot elected Jefferson President and Burr Vice President; challenged and mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton in a duel fought at Weehawken, N.J., July 11, 1804; indicted for murder in New York and New Jersey but never tried in either jurisdiction; escaped to South Carolina, then returned to Washington and completed his term of service as Vice President; arrested and tried for treason in August 1807 for attempting to form a republic in the Southwest of which he was to be the head, but was acquitted; went abroad in 1808; returned to New York City in 1812 and resumed the practice of law; died in Port Richmond, Staten Island, N.Y., September 14, 1836; interment in the President's lot, Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, N.J.